As we know Celtic have suffered injury upon injury to the most creative players. On the other hand, the talent pool has deepened in this area with the additions of a third striker (Edouard), a new deep lying creator (Ntcham), a new winger (Hayes) and new number 10 (Musonda). Has this help mitigate the injuries? … [continue reading]
creativity
Cutting Corners
Celtic had 10 corners against Greenock Morton and there was frustration that despite a few efforts at goal, no tangible reward followed. Can Celtic do more at corners? Thanks to @MickNolan88 for asking the question on Twitter. Firstly, here is an article (In the Washington Post!) about the value of corners – https://t.co/ngZZ429iOW. There are different … [continue reading]
Creative Deficit
I showed in League Performance Regression? Yes. Here’s Why that it was whom is injured rather than volume of injuries that are hindering SPFL performance. In The Roberts Effect I focussed on comparing team performance with and without the mercurial winger. But across the whole squad, what are we missing creatively? The Glossary can open … [continue reading]
The Roberts Effect
In the second of my half term reports League Performance Regression? Yes. Here’s Why, I concluded that form has dipped in the league because the main creative players (except Sinclair) have been injured at the same time. This makes the team more predictable, and puts increased burden on Sinclair. Of the missing creatives, Rogic has … [continue reading]
Stat Snapshot: Assists and Chances (Nov ’17)
As the international break comes to close, get back in the mood for real football with a reminder of where we are performance wise across some key metrics.Today: creativity. Assists The table below shows Assists per 90 minutes alongside Expected Assists per 90 minutes, and the difference between the two. Comparing players based on per … [continue reading]
What You Could Have Won
Some Celtic numbers to alleviate the ever-lengthening nights as we wait for international football to be over and the real stuff to start again! I look at the creative aspect of the game. For all the categories analysed, I have taken the cut off at Roberts who has played the equivalent of 4.19 90-minute matches. … [continue reading]
Concerning “Packing”
The “Packing” and “Impect” concepts were introduced in Germany and the firm responsible can be found here: http://www.impect.com/en/ This is a commercial organisation and they have introduced the concept with an aim of selling the data and insight to clubs. Therefore, in the unlikely event they ever found this inconsequential blog, they probably hate that … [continue reading]
Right Side, Wrong Balance?
As Celtic prepare for Rosenborg, the Linfield games highlighted the extent to which the attacking connections were left side dominant. Here is the Pack Pass Map for the 1st leg. Note that this is not a map of ALL passes. It is a map of all passes where at least one opponent was taken out … [continue reading]
Unpacking Armstrong, and Avoiding Cognitive Dissonance
The Stuart Armstrong “will be / won’t he” sign a new contract saga rumbles on. Rumours of interest from English Premier League sides persist, and why not? After scoring 17 goals last season in winning the treble, the 25-year-old is maturing into the complete central midfielder, and carving an international career. I have no insight … [continue reading]
Goodnight, Sweet Prince
In the sixth article in the 2016/17 season review series, I consider the work of the wingers. Arguably the strongest section of the team, last season was the story of three excellent players. Celtic play with either three attacking midfielders behind a striker, or three forwards of which two are wide. Sinclair has made the … [continue reading]